Infused as I am…
…with the generosity of the festive holiday spirit, I've actually got something nice to say, probably the last thing, about the Governor's budget proposal (in fairness, she hasn't got many nice things to say about it, either. Hard times.). Here's a cut I heartily endorse...
Gov. Chris Gregoire's proposed two-year budget released Wednesday contains a wide swath of deep budget cuts, including one that fans of elections won't care for: dumping the 2012 presidential primary.It's exactly fans of elections, in fact, that should be applauding the elimination of the beauty pageant primary. What could be more harmful to the institution of elections than a state-sponsored sham?
Dropping the presidential primary would save $10 million, according to Gregoire's office.
Though Republicans have assigned a portion of their national convention delegates on the basis of the primary, Democrats have shunned it completely. So long as there's no mechanism for maintaining party integrity in the process of selecting delegates to the party convention, we're compelled by our national rules to do so.
The presidential primary is the product of our state's so-called "mainstream" Republicans, exemplified best, perhaps, by the Republican Secretaries of State that have used their office to promote this boondoggle. After the Robertson revolution overran their caucuses in 1988 (what you thought right wing insurrection was something new?), they've lived in fear of their base, and the primary is a way to dilute the core of radicalism that the GOP is built on. The same gang is behind the nonsensical "non-partisanship" of our state primary and the King County elections, and the anti-democratic top two primary system, which shuts out third party challenges by statute.
Republicans like the primary election because they hate democracy. Twisted bastards.
Cut it, Chris!
Labels: Christine Gregoire, Democrats, Elections, Republicans, State Budget, Washington State
posted by Shaun at
9:56 AM
2 Comments:
Last go-around, even the Republicans pretty much ignored the results of the presidential primary. The caucuses were really where things were determined.
However, it was fun while it lasted, and made Washington a state that presidential candidates made an effort to visit. Now, who knows how often any of them will come by?
But given the cost, it just wasn't worth the effort anymore.
I suspect they'll still come around if elections are close. Hillary and Obama both came before the caucus, and didn't do much for the meaningless election. I don't remember what Republicans came here. Given that the Republicans' primaries/caucuses are much more all or nothing than Democrats, and it's a safe bet who'll be our nominee, it'll all probably be decided before Washington anyway.
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